With a couple of days to the beginning of campaign for the 2023 general elections, there is by all accounts no apparent upside to the crisis shaking the People Democratic Party, PDP.
Trouble began for the main opposition party after its primary election when the national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, alonside the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, visited Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.
During that visit, Ayu had hailed Tambuwal, portraying him as “a hero of democracy.” Anything he implied by that, the statement is the off-shoot of the significant crisis in the party today.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers, who came next in that primary election, and that large number of in his camp, saw that comment from the party’s national chairman as “disappointing and from a biased point of view.”
As though that was sufficient enough, Atiku went on to pick Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate in spite of the choice of a committee for that reason, which prior made due with Wike, as per Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.
Presently, to mollify his sentiments and that of his supporters, Wike had requested Ayu’s resignation, expressing that both Atiku and Ayu had before committed such a responsibility.
INFOXCLUSIVE, nonetheless, reports that rather than Ayu to resign, what Nigerians saw was a demonstration of positive support in him. It was rather the Board of Trustees Chairman, Walid Jibrin, that was supposedly constrained to resign, an improvement that has not gone down well with the individuals of the party from the Southern part of the country.
To drum home that point, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde on Wednesday told Atiku that Ayu should resign for peace to reign in the party.
Makinde talked when Atiku visited the State, close by different chieftains of the party.
Part of those present included: Okowa, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Congressperson Ademola Adeleke, Soji Adagunodo and Boss Raymond Dokpesi, previous governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu and his partners from Ondo, Olusegun Mimiko and Osun, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Eyitayo Jegede, Dino Melaye and Ladi Adebutu.
Makinde demanded that one of the circumstances to restructure the party was for Ayu to resign, disclosing that the presidential candidate, Atiku is from the north while Ayu is additionally from the north.
“We must speak the truth. The truth is that we don’t have any issue either with the party or the candidate.
“We don’t have any issue with the PDP. This is not about an individual. Those are the issues that are behind us, it has happened, it has happened.
“The issue is that we must restructure Nigeria if we want unity in Nigeria. But, we must restructure PDP itself before we restructure Nigeria. If we want to restructure Nigeria, do we have the capacity, the answer is yes. But, the South West PDP is asking the PDP chairman to resign. The Southwest PDP is telling the Chairman to step down” he said.
Answering, Atiku completely let his crowd know that Ayu’s resignation is a tall dream.
In spite of the fact that he didn’t rule it our completely, he said it would just be conceivable should the constitution be amended, an improvement analyst say was a close to difficulty before the 2023 presidential election.
Atiku said, “only if the PDP constitution is amended.
“The calls for the resignation of the national chairman or any national officer can only be achieved through the party’s constitution.
“The party’s constitution can only be amended. It is possible.
“When I was the Vice President, we took over South West except Lagos state. I don’t want us to lose focus, the focus is on how to win the 2023 elections. I know that we are capable, we can do that”.
With this, he seems to have abandoned the chance of Ayu’s resignation in accordance with Wike’s camp’s interest.
Addressing INFOXCLUSIVE on the turn of events, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Around the world, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro said Atiku’s stand was disheartening.
The Ohanaeze Scribe noted that, “we cannot fathom why it is so difficult for the PDP presidential candidate and the national chairman to respect a simple agreement at this early stage. Governor Wike has said several times that they committed to the fact that Ayu will resign, so our question is why are they reneging on that promise? It is not a good omen at all.
“Even if they did not make the pledge, how on earth can both of them come from the North? Does it mean the South is not relevant to the PDP? What of the South-East that has remained the most loyal region to the PDP? What have they benefited?
“We heard what Atiku said in Oyo clearly; we are not kids, the message is clear enough. What he has just told the South clearly is that Ayu is not resigning and that they can do without us. We shall go into our room and take our own decision.”
In the mean time, Wike is yet to respond to Atiku’s most recent stand.
